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Hockey

- One day after hearing Jeremy Smith wouldn't be back for the 2009-10 season, the Niagara IceDogs made a big splash in the Canadian Hockey League's import draft.

With the 21st overall pick Tuesday, the Ontario Hockey League club selected 19-year-old Finnish goaltender Petteri Simila, a six-foot-six, 189-pounder who played for the Karpat, Finland junior team last season.

Simila was the last player chosen in the 2009 NHL entry draft, when he was selected by the Montreal Canadiens.

IceDogs general manger Dave Brown had planned to select another player in the import draft.

But he changed his mind when the Nashville Predators, the team that selected Smith in the second round 54th overall in the NHL draft Saturday, told him Smith would move to the pro ranks this coming season.

"Obviously, we had to take a turn in a different direction," Brown said.

Another CHL team drafting ahead of the IceDogs was thinking of taking Simila, but changed its mind Monday night. Knowing the IceDogs were looking for a goalie, Simila's agent Simo Niiramen called Brown.

"I made a few phone calls over to some of the guys we know in Europe and I put Ben (goaltending coach Vanderklok) and head scout Scott Halpenny on it," Brown said.

"When I got back in, I had real good reports on the kid with regards to the goalie he is and how hard he works."

Simila is reported to be a butterfly-style goalie, agile and mentally tough. A late growth spurt set back his development a little bit.

"We're about a year away from having our internally built goaltending system take over," he said.

That system is made up of 2008 third-round pick Mark Visentin and 2009 fourth-round pick John Chartrand.

"To start the year with a '92 (1992 birth) and a '93 (1993 birth) goalie, would be setting them more up for failure than it would be for success."

"It was something we had to do," Brown said.

The IceDogs would have loved to have Smith for one more year, but are glad to see him moving forward in his career.

Playing pro in 2009-10 was also Smith's wish.

"That's good," Brown said. "It speaks volumes for how he progressed when he arrived."

Simila will attend the Canadiens' rookie camp this month, head back to fulfill some commitments in Finland and arrive in Niagara in time for the IceDogs training camp.

Each CHL club is allowed to carry two imports. Twenty-three- goal scorer Marco Insam, a native of Italy, will be back with the IceDogs this season. Brown expects Insam to blossom into a 30-goal scorer.

In other team news, 2009 first-round pick Lucas Lessio has yet to sign with the club.

"We had some discussions last week and I'm still real hopeful he will be in the lineup, probably moreso now than I was before," Brown said.